ROAR Live 'n' Loud raises £2,284 for SiMBA

The VAO supported ROAR project was finally able to stage its Live 'n' Loud X event on 7 November in the Orkney Sailing Club. Following a busy summer calendar, the event was postponed in October because of storm Amy - it was a long anticipated and hugely successful evening.

Seven young acts performed to an appreciative audience, culminating in a joyful on stage finale with mass singalongs of Folsom Prison Blues and Country Roads. Thanks to the strong turnout, along with a charity auction generously supported by local businesses and expertly ran by Charles Copland, the volunteers raised £2,284 for their chosen charity SiMBA.

The ROAR project is made up of S6 pupils from Kirkwall Grammar School. The group forms every year to plan, set up and run public events, often raising money for charity. For many of this years volunteers, this was their first experience of running an event - and they rose to the challenge superbly. They:

organised the raffle and auction
designed posters
welcomed the audience
sold tickets
stage managed
hung banners and set out chairs
helped with the turnaround between acts
took photos
carried out MC duties

A volunteer even wrote a review of the evening which was published in The Orcadian newspaper.

Loud 'n' Live X Review by Anushka Thombre, ROAR Committee Member
It’s not much we give but, how much love we put into giving – that was the attitude embodied on Friday 7 November at the ROAR Live ‘n’ Loud X event.
Our ROAR team came together with passion and dedication to give back to people who put others first in their everyday lives and raise awareness for Simba - an incredible organisation devoted to helping families grieve their children.
With fairy lights covering the ceiling and posters up on every wall, the Orkney Sailing Club was beautifully decorated, encouraging all the members of our team and setting the standards high for the event from the very start.
Even as the sound checks were happening, I was in awe with how talented the performers were. Some of them had even come straight from work, but the pride and professionalism put in by the young musicians was exceptional. Their focus as they practised in the green room before the doors opened, their nervous laughter and bright smiles as they stood in front of their audience while getting announced, their hard work really paid off. I know who to call if we end up planning another event, which we might do – your eyes peeled!
Midway through the night, I had the pleasure of announcing our auctioneer, Charles Copland. This was my very first time watching an auction in person and I can see why it’s so popular. Who knew auctioneers spoke so fast? Well, some of you, I’m sure did!
And thanks to Charles for getting the crowd so enthusiastic, we had an incredibly successful auction – even my Dad brought home the aesthetic canvas of the Eiffel Tower that the Orkney Library kindly donated for the auction.
We then ran our raffle, which also had great prizes such as an eye-catching picture of a red flower with a black and white background. It was donated by our very own ROAR member Jessica Bruce and her photography company, Bruce Photography.
After the rest of the acts, we ended the night with a stramash. All our performers started joining each other on stage, one song at a time, concluding with the audience also getting involved for a superb rendition of ‘Take me home, Country Roads’.
And I’m glad to report that we earned a total of £2,284 for Simba, so thank you to everyone who come to support us and to the team for putting in so much effort, even when things get tough.